Credeva… in memoriam Franco Donatoni

Composed in
2000

For
2 Sopranos and Orchestra

Duration
14′

Lyrics by
Jan Fabre

First performance
November 6, 2000 at deSingel in Antwerp (B). Clementine JESDINSKY & Karolina RUEGG, sopranos. The Beethoven Academy, conducted by Jan CAEYERS.

Commissioned by
Arts Center deSingel, Antwerp (B)

Dedicated to
Jerry Aerts

Publisher
Donemus

Luc on Credeva… in memoriam Franco Donatoni
Credeva… (he believed…) is a composition for two sopranos and orchestra on an Italian text by Jan Fabre, written especially for the occasion and commissioned by deSingel. This version, which lasts about thirteen minutes and premieres tonight, is actually a preliminary version. Due to numerous circumstances, the middle part will only be completed within a year or so. The music is very lyrical (what do you want, with vocalists involved…), still spectral like just about everything else of mine. The text also suggested to me a duality of playfulness and cynicism on the one hand and something dark on the other - in this I continue to work on topics from my recent Sixth Symphony. I try to express this by injecting a certain lightness into the music, by presenting clear orchestration and clearly 'recognizable' musical gestures. Naturally, there are also surprises in this work, with the understanding that this time I have made them an essential part of the whole. During the initial phase of the composition, I was (literally) surprised by the news of the death of Franco Donatoni, a true master from whom I learned a lot - in a relatively short time. Hence the subtitle…! Credeva… is dedicated to Jerry Aerts, who has supported and encouraged both my music and myself for a decade. I don't think I can honor him better than with a (hopefully) good piece of work. October 20, 2000